Prayers Aren’t Just For The Pew

Finding Time To Pray In A Digital World

In the world today, life is hectic! Very few people will disagree. It doesn’t matter if we work in corporate America, are a small business owner, or a stay-at-home parent, life can be and well, let’s face it, most of the time it is hectic. 

Our days consist of so many commitments we’ve laid on ourselves that it is very difficult to figure out how to get it all done. Time management gurus want to say, “You need to manage your time more carefully.” Oh, don’t worry, time is being managed. We simply do not have enough hours in the day to get everything that we deem a priority completed. We’ve over committed ourselves or perhaps, we simply have more on our plate than we can chew, or so it feels that way.

We all pretty much work the same calendar. Weekdays are intended for work and taking care of family, tackling chores and finishing up other lose ends. Weekends are sometimes a time for unwinding, not moving as quickly, but still, there’s a list and we have to get it done before the hustle and bustle of the new week comes. 

So prayer, what do we do about praying, spending quality time with God? Prayer, well, we leave that for Sunday mornings, right? It’s typically in a pew or seat, before the pastor leads his sermon or priest begins his mass. It’s a very easy and convenient place for it, after all. Prayer in the pew is great!  Hey, we made it to church and that’s a great accomplishment for many! 

What if? What if we could spend more time in the presence of God? Would you take it? Would you be willing?  Well, this post may have a solution for you.  

So let’s first define prayer. What is it? Is it certain, concrete, of a particular form? No. Prayer is the intimate and unique way in which we connect to God. It can be while we are alone or it could be within a group of people. Prayer is fluid. Prayer does not limit itself. It is not reserved for a particular time or place.  Not at all. We can pray just about anywhere, with anyone about anything at any time. Any time you are creating a connection with God,  you are praying. Recognizing this truth, makes it much easier for us to implement prayer into our daily routine.

So, here are some different digital avenues to help us add prayer to our daily routine: 

• Through music. Listen to a favorite Christian station or find one that fits your mood. There are traditional hymn, rock,  and pop Christian music all over for you to stream. 

• On Podcasts. There are so many different opportunities for you to listen to God’s word through an assortment of various Podcasts. You can find daily devotionals, scripture readings, Christian talk channels, daily masses, novenas, rosary prayers, audio books, etc. Just about anything you can imagine, you can find it in a Podcast. 
• On Television. Have you seen the numerous Christian related movies and series that are streaming? There are tons. 
• Through the Social Media. Follow pages on social media platforms that give inspiration and encouragement; talk about Christ and scripture. 
• Via Email: Sign up to receive daily or weekly inspiration, scripture, prayers. 
• In Internet Searches: Create favorites from sites you’ve found on the internet.
• eBooks: Find an audible book or ebook of a Christian writer or topic of interest.

You see, prayer isn’t just set for time in the pew. It’s available all around us and this digital world has made even more easy for us to pray. Listen to Christian music, book or podcasts at work, on the car ride, while exercising, while getting ready in the morning, waiting in the carpool line, while shopping. When the television goes on, suggest a Christian flick instead of the usual. Follow and like pages on social media sites that talk and promote Christianity, post daily scripture, prayers, etc. and then when scrolling through the feed, there you go…an opportunity for prayer. When checking emails, open the email and treat it just like the others, take action and pray. While trolling the internet, find blogs and sites that talk about prayer, scripture, faith and discernment and then tag them as a favorite to review while online.  Add a book to your phone and read while waiting between classes, during your lunch break, while waiting at practice for a child…The list can go on and on.

In this time and age with all the “busy” stuff, we do have time for prayer more than ever before. There is a plethora of opportunity out there, we just have to open our minds and commit to making it part of our day. 

What are some ways you incorporate daily prayer into your routine?